Boston Celtics: 3 players you forgot played for the C’s in the 2000’s & 2010’s

Shaquille O’Neal, C (2010-11 Season)

Over the course of his 19 year career center Shaquille O’Neal legitimately put himself into the conversation as one of the most, if not the most dominant player the sport of basketball has ever seen.

For the 7-1 behemoth of a man, there was no “easing into it” period; he automatically came into the league as a force to be reckoned with. Bullying guys like Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone down in the paint as a mere 20 year old, it was pretty much a well know fact that O’Neal was going to accomplish great things throughout his career.

And, oh how right this assumption turned out to be.

Winning a total of four NBA Championships, three Finals MVPS and achieving honors such as 15 All-Star selections, 14 All-NBA selections and an NBA Most Valuable Player award, by year his 18th season it was safe to say O’Neal carved out a career for himself that will be remembered for as long as the sport exists.

So, with this in mind, tell me: why did he opt to join the Boston Celtics in 2010?

It was quite clear that at this point in time, the man that once struck fear into the hearts of opposing big men was no longer in existence. Though he did manage to put up solid averages of 12 points, 6.7 board and 1.2 blocks per game on 57 percent shooting from the floor in 2009-2010 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was evident to seemingly everyone that he should probably throw in the towel by the time they were bounced in round two of the playoffs by, yes, the Boston Celtics.

Instead however, by his own admission, O’Neal decided to “ring chase” in his 19th season in the league and opted to sign with the C’s on a two-year veteran’s minimum deal.

"“I just wanted to try to …. I was ring chasing. I’m being honest. Yeah, I was ring chasing.” I felt like I was robbing them. I didn’t feel right. [Coach Doc Rivers] told me when I came in ‘We’re not going to need you to do much. Just rebound.’ And I accepted and said O.K."

Now, in all honesty, we can’t put all the blame for this debacle on Shaq’s enormous shoulders. Wyc Grousbeck, principal owner of the Celtics, was a major factor in the signing of O’Neal.

With the rise of Dwight Howard as the most menacing interior presences in the entire league, let alone the Eastern Conference, the decision makers in Boston wanted to find an answer to combat the overwhelming dominance of Howard and Grousbeck believed O’Neal to be the answer.

He wasnt.

At 38 years old and somewhat resembling the man who ate Shaq, O’Neal put up career lows all across the board averaging 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 37 games played.

By the time the postseason rolled around coach Doc Rivers rendered him useless and, despite the team playing into the second round, the center only managed to see the court for 12 total minutes in two appearances.

That offseason, O’Neal announced his official retirement from the league, thus ending his historic reign on the league for good.

Truth be told, I am one of the biggest Shaquille O’Neal fans one could ever meet. However, it cannot be denied, his lone season with the Boston Celtics was as forgettable as it was bad, leaving a much younger generation with a bad memory of the time they saw the storied center wallowing away in a last ditch effort to match his former teammate, and forever friend, Kobe Bryant in championships.